Celia's Story
by Rachel.Elizabeth.Potter
Summary: Celia's grown up having to deal with being thrown under the bus, but when the other boys think of starting a strike, she realizes this has been the change she has been waiting for.
1. Disclaimer

This is a _Newsies _fanfiction about a fem!Crutchie. All people and locations in this story belong to their rightful owners.


	2. Prologue

February 1892

A small kid ran through the snow-covered streets of lower Manhattan. Fluffy white flakes fell peacefully from the cloudy sky, but the ten-year-old boy knew the storm was just beginning. Finally, the boy's home rose about him, its windows filled with welcoming warm light. He reached the tall doors and pushed them open. The growing wind made it hard for the boy to close the doors himself, but there were others nearby to help him. The boy felt his head get hit by a hat as he stood huffing in front of the doors. "Jack! We were just about to go out into that storm to look for you!" One of the boys, his name was Carter, said scolding the boy. The kid, Jack, shook the snow from his hair and grinned.

"Sorry, Carter. I was trying to sell all my papers. I lost track of time." he explained. Carter couldn't resist the younger's smile and soon had one of his own. He patted Jack's head.

"It's all right. Come on upstairs. I saved you a sandwich." Carter told him. The two of them and Carter's brother, Anthony, exited the chilly lobby to the first floor bedrooms. Jack made way to his top bunk and climbed up. A tinfoil-wrapped chicken sandwich was waiting for him. He leaned back against the wall and unwrapped his food. Beginning to eat, Jack watched the snow outside thicken. Suddenly, something moved across the white. Jack sat up and squinted at the window.

"Hey Joey! Did you see that?" he called to the boy on the bunk below him.

"See what?" Joey said sleepily. Jack jumped off his bed, leaving his half-eaten sandwich behind and ran over to the window.

"I saw something moving out the window." Jack explained. He forced the window open, and the boys began to protest as the cold air filled the room.

"What are you doing?" Anthony yelled. Jack ignored him and climbed out. There was another yell of his name, but Jack was already on the fire escape. The snow and wind swirled around him. Jack swore that he had seen something outside the window. There was a muffled bang nearby. Jack turned to his right and spotted her. The girl wad small, thin, and almost invisible in the corner of the balcony. She was watching Jack with wide eyes. Her mangy blond hair was held back with a ribbon, and her clothes once nice were dirty and torn. Her lips were turning blue, and she was shaking like a leaf. Jack quickly leaned back in through the window.

"There's a girl out here!" He said before ducking back out. Jack heard a clamor inside, but he was focused on the young girl. He started to approach her slowly, seeing the fear on her face. The girl shrunk back. "It's okay. I ain't going to hurt you."

"I'm sorry!" Jack could barely hear the girl over the wind. There were frozen tears on her cheeks. "I just wanted to get warm. I'll leave!"

"It's okay. You could have just knocked." Jack said with a laugh. "Would you like to come in?" The girl hesitated then nodded. Jack helped the girl up and walk over to the window. The other boys were waiting anxiously. Lifting the girl in through the window, they wrapped her immediately in blankets once she was inside. Jack swung in and shut the window. The boys sat the girl in a nearby bunk. Jack retrieved his sandwich and walked over to her. He handed over his dinner to her which she took with a smile. Sitting beside her, Jack let her finish off what was left of the sandwich. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." The girl said quietly. "I don't know how long it's been since I've had food that wasn't turning green." The two kids laughed, both knowing what that felt like.

"What's your name?"

"Celia."

"I'm Jack."

"I know. I heard the other boys saying your name." Celia giggled.

"I'm guessing you's an orphan." Jack said throwing the empty wrapper over his shoulder. Celia nodded with a sad expression.

"My parents died three years ago in a fire." she said slowly.

"My parents ain't around either. My mum's dropped off the face of the earth, and pop's doing ten to life in jail. How'd you end up on the streets though?" Jack had noticed Celia's clothing, a fancy uniform of some type.

"I ran from the boarding school my aunt sent me too. She died couple weeks ago. I left soon after. It was awful there. I only went because when my parents died, my aunt didn't want to deal with me. I'm happy I left even though now I don't know where to go."

"You can stay here if you want." Jack said shrugging his shoulders. Celia smiled.

"What even is _here_? I've never been to this part of the city, and I lived here for most of my life."

"This here is the Newsboy Lodgehouse!" Jack opened his arms wide. Celia's jaw dropped.

"You guys are newsies?" The boys had formed a loose circle around the bunk, and they all smiled.

"You got the best of the Manhattan branch right here!" Carter announced with a laugh.

"I'm a girl though."

"So? There's girl newsies. The Bronx has got a girl named Smalls." Anthony told Celia.

"You cant be serious about going back out into that storm." Jack said pointing back at the window. Celia had tears in her eyes.

"You really want me to stay?" She asked slowly. Jack looked at Carter who gave her a big grin.

"Sure! The more, the merrier is what I always say. Welcome to the newsie family, Celia!" Carter said. The boys cheered and hugged Celia, something that hadn't been done for a long time. Celia could get used to being here even if she had to live with all boys.


	3. Chapter 1

I'm awake long before the sun is. I can tell Jack is too, drawing in the light of the street lamp. The sound of pencil scratching on paper often filled our mornings. When the sky began turning pink, I sat up. Jack was lounging on the opposite side of the balcony, his face lined with traces of deep concentration. I twisted my ratty blond hair and tucked it under a cap. My hair wasn't that long, but even hidden under a hat, everyone could tell I was a girl. I used the rail to pull myself to my feet or foot, I guess. The scribbling stopped. "Hey. Where're you going?" I glanced over as Jack sat up and began to roll up his artwork.

"I'm gonna head out early." I bent over and scooped up my crutch. I adjusted it under my right arm, easing out the balance between my good leg and the bad one. "I don't want the boys seeing that I ain't been walking too good." I limped over to the ladder. Jack stood and jammed his paper inside a pipe that held his other drawings. I sat down and swung my good leg over the due. Yanking my other one beside it, I left my crutch behind me. "Be a gentleman and help a lady down?" I looped an arm around a bar of the railing and started down. Instantly, I slipped. "Jack!" I yelled, dangling by the arm wrapped around the railing. It really hurt by the way. Jack ran down the walkway towards me and pulled my up by the hand I had been waving at him desperately.

"What're you trying to do? You want another bum leg?" Jack exclaimed as he set me back up on the balcony.

"No!" I said laughing. "I want to go down." Jack yanked off my hat and whacked my head with it.

"You'll be down soon enough." He tossed me my hat and opened his arms, gesturing around him. "Come on, CeCe! Stay awhile. Take in my penthouse!" I put on my hat, and I stood up curtesy of the crutch.

"First, you are crazy! Second, I told you not to call me CeCe. My name is Celia." Jack laughed, pulling me over to him.

"Celia Schmelia! I think my nickname is better." We watched the sunrise in silence. Jack came into view as it brightened. He and I looked nothing alike. He had dark hair and eyes whilst I had light hair and green eyes, but we were family. Despite our physical differences, everyone treated us like siblings. It usually led to multiple jokes from the newsboys especially Race. Jack had taken me under his wing seven years ago when I was left an orphan at six. I looked at Jack and noticed he wasn't watching the sky anymore. He was watching the city below come to life. His jaw was tight with anger. "Them streets down there, they sucked the life right out of my old man. Well, they ain't doing that to me."

"But everyone wants to come to New York!" I said slowly. That's why my parents had come her with me when I was a baby. "My parents loved the idea of the city."

"You can keep your small life in the big city. Give me a big life in a small town." Jack's expression turned wistful. "They say folks is dying to get here. I'm dying to get away to a little town out west that's spankin' new. While I ain't never been there, I can see it clear as day." Jack threw an arm around my shoulders. "If you want, I bet you could see it too!"

"You're weird." I laughed.

"Close your eyes!" I gave in and shut them. "Come with me." I let my mind wander to the place that Jack began to describe. "It's crystal clean, the greenest green you could imagine, and so incredibly pretty. They even went and made an entire city out of clay."

"Really?"

"Hey! Eyes closed." I left them open despite what he had said.

"What about the people?"

"The second that you get there, they'll walk right up to you and say 'Welcome home. Welcome home to Santa Fe'."

"No, they don't!" I exclaimed.

"You've never been there! We'll be planning crops, splittin' rails, and swapping tales around the fire. Not on Sundays,though! Sundays are when you just lie around all day!" I haven't seen Jack this excited in a long time. "Soon your friends are more like family, and they'll be begging you to stay! Living sweet in Santa Fe. Wouldn't it be neat?" He picked my up and swung me around, laughing. He set me down off balanced.

"Careful. My leg..." I re-adjusted my crutch.

"Hey." Jack noticed my expression. "No one worries about no gimp leg in Santa Fe. You just hop a Palomino. You ride in style!" Jack galloped playfully down the walkway, causing me to laugh.

"Yeah right. Picture me riding in style."

"I bet after a few months of clean air, you could toss that crutch for good." I smiled at the thought. I've dealt with for two years. No one knows what's wrong with me. I had woken one day,and my leg had gone numb. It still hasn't regained feeling. Walking on it, that would be my biggest dream.

"Could that actually work?"

"You never know until you try! We could work the land, chase the sun, and even swim the whole Rio Grande just for fun!"

"I could stand! I could run!" I exclaimed happily then the doubt hit me. Of course, it wouldn't work. I turned away from Jack, hoping he wouldn't see the tears that had started to fall.

"Celia." Jack walked up behind me and wrapped me in a hug. "Don't you know that we's a family? Would I let you down?" I shook my head, a smile tugging on my lips. "Someday, you and me will be on that train that goes to Santa Fe." Off in the distance, bells began to ring. Jack stepped away from me after a pat on the head. "Dreaming's over."

"You know what, Jack? That Santa Fe seems pretty nice."

"Just wait till we're there." Jack leaned over the railing and yelled to the open windows below. "Race! Specs! Come on, boys! The sun's up which means you have to!" Jack pulled me onto his back, and together we made our way down the ladder.


	4. Chapter 2

Fights had already begun to break out by the time we had gotten downstairs into the living quarters. Jack had to pull a red-faced Race off of Albert. "What's going on here?" Jack asked stepping in between the fuming boys.

"That's my cigar!" Race yelled pointing to the one dangling from Albert's mouth.

"Oh please, you'll steal anotha'!" Albert retorted. Race made for Albert again, but Jack held him back. I pushed past them and Jack as he started to sort it out. Continuing down the hallway to the stairs, The fair haired Specs, named for his glasses, sped past me into the washing room dressed only in a towel. I was used to seeing stuff like that though. I did live with all boys. The door shut behind him, and I heard him exclaim.

"Hey. Look, it's bath time at the zoo!" It was followed by a hard slap and a yell of pain. I braced myself against the wall just in time. Henry came flying out of the washroom followed closely by Specs, who was trying to hold up his towel and wipe shaving cream off his face. I laughed as they disappeared into one of the rooms. Jack and a cigar-less Albert came up beside me. We began the trek down the six flights of stairs to the lobby. Jack often had me on his back so I wouldn't hold anyone up.

"Ya know," Albert began. We looked at him. "I was having the most wonderful dream when Mush woke me up. My lips are still tingling."

"Oh, was it about a woman?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"No!" Albert continued with a dreamy expression. "A leg of lamb." I stifled a laugh while Jack didn't even try.

"Did you at least get to eat it?" I asked. We had reached the lobby by now, and Jack set me down on the stairs. He knelt to tie my shoe. Albert sat beside me, his expression now sad.

"Mush woke me when it was just merely an inch from my lips." I gave him a one-armed hug then scooted over so Jack could sit also. The door to the office opened, and a newly washed Finch walked out with clean clothes and his black hair combed.

"Wow, Finch. What's the big occasion?" I suppressed a smile at Jack's question. Finch straightened up.

"I though that I'd surprise my mother." He said with a smile.

"If you could find her." Finch muttered beside me. I proceed to whack him in the chest.

"Who asked you?" I said. Slowly but steadily, the newsboys began to file downstairs. While we waited for the younger boys (they took the longest), Race and Finch began talking to Jack about their selling papers.

"Bottle Alley to the Harbor is where you can get the best pickings guaranteed." Race explained. "I always get people to buy my papes there."

"I go for the bankers, barbers, or even bums. Almost all of them know how to read." Finch said.

"Th way I see it, it's just a game that we'll never lose." Jack said. He pointed to the front door. "Those suckers out there keep on paying for bad news!" Finally, the rest of the crew staggered downstairs. We left the coolness of the lodging house and into the warm air of the morning. The streets were mostly bare except for a young lady walking with a man close to her age. She was quite pretty so Romeo pounced immediately. He waltzed right up to her and bowed. He didn't get one word out before Jack had cut in front of him. "Hello miss. Can I interest you in the latest headline?" Jack could have been just playing on of his cards, but something was different in the way that he was looking at her.

"The paper's not out yet." The girl answered. She was obviously a rich gal with her perfectly styled auburn hair and fancy clothes. The couple tried to move past Jack, but he wasn't going to have it.

"I'd be honored to deliver it to you personally." The gentleman laid a hand on Jack as if to push him away, and our group tensed for a fight. The girl shook her head, and the man stepped back. She opened a notebook she was carrying and smiled at Jack.

"I've got a headline for you. Cheeky boy gets nothing for his troubles." We burst out laughing as the girl pushed past Jack and continued down the street. Her friend had to run to catch up with her. Romeo gave Jack's shoulder a pat.

"Back to the bullpen. You just struck out!" He said happily. Jack shoved him playfully.

"All right. All right. Let's go!" Jack waved us on. He fell back to walk with me. From the back of the group, I could see all the boys. It would've been hard to discern them all from each other to anybody outside our group. The majority of them had dark hair, except for Specs and Race with their lighter hair.

"Celia!" Mush, one of the older boys like Jack, yelled as he ran over to me. "What's your leg say? Is it gonna rain?" This was a running joke between me and the boys. I felt my bad leg with a look of deduction.

"No rain." I said slowly. "Oh! Partly cloudy,but it'll be clear by evening." Mush smiled and rubbed my head.

"Can I just bottle you up?" He asked. Race came along beside us.

"Yeah, you could use the help. The limp itself sells fifty papes a week!" I glared at him.

"I don't need a limp to sell papes!" I restrained myself from whacking him with my crutch. "I got a little something you slugs lack. It's called personality."

"I got personality!" Albert complained from ahead of us.

"Yeah. The personality of a rock." I answered back, and some of the boys laughed. Albert turned around.

"So what do you got that I don't?"

"A smile that spreads like butter. It's one that can turn anybody's head, ya know."

"Yeah, Albert. It takes an orphan with a stutter!" Race said.

"That's also blind." Mush suggested.

"And mute!" Henry added.

"And dead!" Elmer said laughing as he shoved Albert. Those two ran ahead of the group, Elmer laughing hysterically being chased by Albert. The World came into view as we rounded the final corner. The gates were still locked when we reached them.

"Look! They's putting up the headline!" Romeo said pointing up to the board nailed to the side of the building. We swarmed the gates to see it better.

"I hope it's something bloody with a clear picture!" Specs exclaimed excitedly. We waited patiently as the words were written. The headline for the day simply sucked.

"Trolley Strike enters third week." Jack read off. "Nobody's gonna wanna buy papes that have that as a headline!"


	5. Chapter 3

The doors of the distribution office opened, and two men exited. They were very familiar to our clan. They were Oscar and Morris Delancey or The Delancey Brothers as we called them. Oscar was the elder of the two at age twenty. Morris was two years behind him. They could easily pass as twins. Both had sun bleached brown hair with malicious hazel eyes. You almost couldn't tell them apart, but Oscar had a menacing scar along his cheekbone. It probably from a fight. He liked those. The two approached the gates. Oscar was swinging around a set of keys. Race stage-gagged beside me.

"Ugh, what is that unpleasant aroma?" He said loud enough for the brothers to hear. "It smells like the sewers backed up during the night!" A couple of us laughed at his joke. Oscar unlocked the gates, his face devoid of emotion, and opened wide one of them. Race, Finch, and I were the first to go in.

"Oscar, word on the street is you and your brother have been taking money to beat up the trolley strike workers." Finch said. Oscar shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess so. It's honest work." He answered. Everyone was looking at him now. Albert scoffed.

"Cracking the heads of defenseless workers is honest work?" He said, stepping in though the gates. Oscar brushed off his comment and straightened his tie.

"I'm just taking care of the guy that takes care of me." He said with a sly smirk. I wanted to slap it off his face.

"Oscar," Race stepped up in his face. "ain't your father one of the strikers?" Oscar glanced around, obviously getting uncomfortable under our watchful eyes. His jaw clenched.

"Guess he didn't take care of me," he hissed. "did he?" He shoved Race, who stumbled back into Albert. Race swung for Oscar, but Albert held him back.

"Want some of that?" Morris asked in my ear. I turned around about to tell him off. Suddenly, he ripped my crutch away. "Lousy crip!" He pushed me, and I fell onto the pavement. I could tell that my good knee was bleeding after it had scraped the ground. The newsboys pushed forward with a yell, and Jack stepped in between Morris and me.

"That's not nice, Morris!" Jack yelled taking back my crutch. Race helped me up. He let me lean against him, my arm over his shoulders. Jack was fuming. "It would be rather unfortunate if one day you woke up with a bad gam of your own. How'd you like us picking on you? Hey!" Jack looked around to us. I could by the look in his eye he was going to pull something. "Why don't we find out?" Quick as lightning, Jack hit the brothers in the shin with the crutch. They both went down hard. Oscar recovered first. He spit on the ground.

"Just wait till I get my hands on you!" He yelled making a grab for Jack. Jack just simply held him back using the crutch.

"You gotta catch me first." He sang. He pushed through the boys and ran down the street. The Delanceys took off after him, both were limping as bad as me. I laughed after seeing Morris make a wild grab for Jack, but trip and fall. Race picked my up and carried me to a bench. Mush and Albert followed us. The rest stayed to watch the spectacle happening on the street. Race set me down.

"Are you okay?" Mush asked sitting beside me. I nodded. Looking down, I saw some blood seeping through my pants from my knee.

"I'm fine. I just don't get why they would be taking money to hurt innocent people. Money is money, but their own father is out there." I said. I checked my knee, and it had stopped bleeding.

"I know. They's sick people." Mush answered angrily. His father had been killed on a strike a few years ago. His mom had disappeared with another man long before then. The four of us watched the newsboys split, and the wagons carrying the newspapers drove in. Jack stood atop the papers of the last wagon, my crutch held high. Everyone cheered and clapped. As the wagon was going past, he jumped off and handed me the crutch.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks Jack." The bell rang, and us newsies formed a line in front of the office. I was third in line. Behind me were two new kids. One was much younger than the other, and they were holding hands. Both were dressed better than us so I guessed they were newly broke. The window blind shot up revealing an old and balding man. He had squinty eyes and a big gut. Why, we all knew who he was.

"Good morning, Weasel!" Jack exclaimed. The guy rolled his eyes.

"It's Wiesel."

"Isn't that what I said?" Jack frowned. He gave Wiesel some money. "I'll have the usual." Jack scooted down to the second window where Morris handed out the papers and bags. Race moved up to the window next.

"Morning Weasel!" He exclaimed. Wiesel sighed.

"At least call me Mister."

"I'll call you sweetheart if you spot me fifty papes." Race joked.

"Cough up the money, kid." Mr. Wiesel held out his hand. Race groaned and gave him the change.

"What happened to romance?" He complained. I stepped up to the window.

"Good morning, Mr. Wiesel." I handed him my money. Wiesel really wasn't that bad. I kinda liked him, and I think he liked me too cause I never gave him attitude. He smiled.

"Fifty papers for Celia." I moved on to the next window, not looking Morris in the eye. He tossed a bag at my head then shoved the papers against my chest.

"Thanks." I muttered. I walked over to Jack, stuffing all but one of the newspapers into my bag. I sat beside him in a stack of paper and began to scan the stories. "Wow, how are we supposed to sell this junk? There ain't anything good!" Behind me, I heard Albert greet Wiesel. Albert was always one to make fun. This was going to be good. I turned to see what was about to go down.

"Did you ever think about getting into the moving pictures?" Albert asked, laying it on thick. Wiesel leaned forward.

"You really think I could?" Wiesel sounded like he had already given this a lot of thought. Albert nodded.

"Sure!" Albert set down his money. "Buy a ticket. They'll let anyone in!" We began to laugh and if there wasn't bars separating them, Wiesel would have decked Albert. Albert moved on smirking.

"Excuse me." Everyone turned to the new kids. The older one was holding up his papers. He was about Jack's age, and he looked just like him too but cleaner. "I paid for twenty, but only got nineteen." Jack got up and walked over to him. He took the boy's papers and began to count them. Wiesel started going off about his gratitude.

"He's right, Weasel!" Jack exclaimed, cutting him off. "You only gave him nineteen papes. I understand though. Morris can't count to twenty with his shoes on." I stifled a laugh. Morris tossed another paper out the window, and thankfully the young kid grabbed it before it hit the ground. Jack slid some money across the counter. "Give him fifty more papes."

"I'm sorry, but we don't want more papers." The older boy said. Jack took his money back.

"What kind of newsie don't want more papes?" Jack's said thoroughly confused. We all would take extra papers given the chance. The boy took the kid's hand.

"We aren't a charity case. We don't even know you." He said starting to leave. The kid yanked his hand away.

"Davey, that's the Jack Kelly!"


	6. Chapter 4

It was very late when I heard footsteps come across the roof and up the ladder. I waited until the climbing had ceased before speaking. "Where have you been?" I saw Jack jump in the faint light of the street lamp.

"Geez Celia! I thought you was asleep." He said laughing.

"Nah." I sat up. "I'm still awake. I was up waiting for you. You weren't back for supper, and I-"

"Did you eat?" Jack interrupted. I rolled my eyes although he probably couldn't see it.

"Yes. Buttons and I split a burger platter from Gianni's down the street." I could tell he was nodding as he sat on his side of the balcony. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and the pencil he kept hidden among the pipes. "Drawing again? Jack, you need to get some sleep!" I often felt like a mother to him because of this. Jack laughed.

"So do you, Celia. How come you ain't?" He asked. I sighed and pushed myself into a standing position. I limped over to Jack, not bothering to use my crutch. He slid over, and I sunk down beside him.

"I can't sleep. The nightmares seem to be getting worse."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head. Though it happened ten years ago, the fire that took my parents from me still plagues my dreams. Jack still hadn't begun to draw yet, sharpening his pencil on the rough edges of the railing. "How'd the day go with the new kids?" Davey and Les, the brothers from this morning, had gone along with Jack as partners to sell papers.

"We sold all of them. The kid, Les, is a bank. He alone made most of the sales. Davey's nice, but he got kinda mad when we fell into a bit of trouble."

"Jack! What happened?"

"'Round supper time, we was splitting up the money. Davey had invited me to eat with him and his folks. Oh, the reason they is selling papes is cause their dad got hurt than laid off from his job. Anyways I had to come back to you, but then Les spotted Snider." Jack had told me stories about the time he spent at The Refuge, a juvenile house for young criminals. Jack had been there a few years ago. The older newsboys took me in until Jack had escaped. Sometimes, I have nightmares about that place. Jack draws it often. Snider ran the place, and all the money given by the government went straight into his pocket.

"Did any of you get caught?"

"Nah, we hid in Medda's theater." I gasped and hit his arm. "Ow!"

"Really? I'm so jealous. How was the performance?"

"Wonderful like always. Davey and Les had never been to a show before. You should have seen the kid's face when he saw the costumes. You wouldn't believe what he said." I shrugged my shoulders.

"What?"

"They got no clothes on!" He and I cracked up. "Davey, he went as pink as Medda's dress!"

"She wore that one? I personally love her blue dress with the roofles or whatever they are called. I sometimes dream that I'm one of the performers and wearing that costume. Jack, could you imagine me on a stage? I'd be dressed to impress and my hair all done up like that gal this morning!" Jack smiled at my wild imagination. My mom had been a performer herself, working in the ensemble. My dad was a stagehand. That's how they died. A freak fire started at the theater, and they never got out.

"Speaking of that girl, she was at the show."

"You bothered her again, didn't you?" Jack kept his mouth shut, looking everywhere but me. "Jack!"

"I didn't do anything that bad! I just almost got her tossed out." I shook my head.

"How?"

"I might have provoked her into yelling by going in her private box. Everything was fine though. I drew her a picture."

"You're creepy."

"No, I'm not!"

"You don't even know her name."

"So? I know she's a reporter so she's educated!"

"And you ain't. It's a match made in heaven." Jack messed up my hair.

"Whatever. She still talked to me."

"Did you hold her against her will?" Jack shoved me playfully. I was laughing when a terrifying thought occurred to me. "You didn't, did you?"

"No!" Jack said laughing. Off in the distance, the sound of violins filled the night. Jack stood up and held out his hand. "Celia, may I have this dance?"

"Jack, my leg. I c-"

"Oh, stop worrying about your leg! It's just going to keep holding you back if you let it. You wanting to perform on stage means that you gotta learn how to dance." He waved his hand, and I knew he wouldn't stop until I took it. I reluctantly grabbed it. He helped me up, and we positioned ourselves like how the people do in the pictures. Swaying slightly, Jack began to pull me along. It was hard at first, but slowly it got easier as I learned to keep my balance. That was messed up immediately when Jack decided to spin me. He caught me in a dip, and I started to laugh. He smiled, lifting me up into his arms. We spun around again. He set me down and steadied me. "See? It's not so hard once you try."

"You're right."

"Like usual." I rolled my eyes.

"Now if I could just get walking down, I could-" I broke off, cursing myself for saying too much. I didn't want him to know I was still upset from this morning.

"You could do what?" Jack asked. I forced a quick smile.

"I could follow my dreams of being onstage." Jack gasped. "What?"

"How about I take you to see Medda before her next performance in two days, and we see if she has any spots open? I gotta go over there anyways to paint more backdrops, and we-" I cut him off with a hug.

"I'd love that! Thank you!"


	7. Chapter 5

_I picture all of these characters like the original cast except with Corey Cott as Jack_

"Them fire hydrants kept me up all night." Race complained. A group of us were lounging around inside the gates of the distribution area. The papers were being unloaded across the yard, but the headline wasn't up on the board yet. I sat on a bench that I was sharing with Albert, my feet propped up on his legs. Race and Mush sat on the ground in front of us as did some of the younger boys. A couple of older guys were playing marbles behind us. Jack was out running a errand(or so he said), and the rest of the boys were still back at the lodge house.

"I like the sound of sirens." Mush said absentmindedly. Race scrunched up his face.

"Why? They's loud and annoyin'."

"Yeah but the louder they wail, the better the headline is. The better the headline means the better I eat. If I be eating better then-"

"The farther away from you I sleep!" Race waved his hand in front of his nose. We cracked up as Mush's cheeks turned then, Davey and Les came through the gates. They sounded out of breath like they had run all the way here from their house.

"Sorry." Davey said as they walked over to our group. "We had to help our mother in moving some things." Race sighed dramatically.

"They got a mother. I was gonna get me one of them." Henry who is only fifteen looked at him with big eyes.

"What happened to the one you had?" Race opened his mouth to explain, but Romeo cut him off.

"He traded her in for a box of Corona cigars." He said leaning over the back of the bench. Race yanked off his hat and hit Romeo with it, a smile on his face. Les plopped down beside Mush, and Davey stood beside me.

"We's got a father too!" Les exclaimed.

"Les, I told you-" Davey groaned, putting a hand to his forehead.

"It's fine, Davey." I whispered putting a hand on his arm. "Jack told me he took you to the show last night."

"That's one way of saying it." Davey laughed. "We did enjoy it though."

"I heard Les was intrigued by the costumes." Davey's ears went pink, and I started to laugh. Les was looking around at the boys.

"So how's it going today, guys?" He asked enthusiastically. Davey bent over to whisper in my ears.

"We got three sisters back home. He craves the company of other males since he isn't in school anymore."

"Hey kid. Ask me again one the headline's up. Hopefully. It won't be as bad as yesterday. I could barely sell any papes." Albert said as he closed his eyes and let his head drop to his chest. I glanced upwards to the board. They had put up the titles to the small stories, but the big headline had yet to be written. Over by the office, a door opened. A man, not Weisel, came out with a piece of chalk in his hand. I kicked Albert,and he startled with a yelp. I nodded in the man's direction. We watched in silence as the man climbed the ladder to the balcony and began to write. The first three words caused an uproar.

"New Newsie Price?" Race yelled, jumping to his feet. Several others did too. Albert pushed my legs off and got to his feet. I struggled to get up as well. Davey had to help me.

"They jacked it up ten whole cents!" Albert groaned.

"I can eat two day do a dime." Elmer said smacking the bench behind me.

"I'll be sleeping on the street." Mush complained. We looked at him.

"Uh, Mush. You already do." Buttons said slowly.

"In a worse neighborhood." At this time, Jack came through the gates.

"Whatca standing around for?" He asked hands in his pocket.

"Jack," I hurried over to him. I detected fear in my voice. This could change everything. "Look at the headline." Jack tilted his head up and squinted in the sunlight. His eyes got big.

"Sixty cents?" Romeo came along beside us.

"It's as if Pulitzer don't make enough money already!" He said angrily. Jack patted my head.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." He waltzed over to the window and pounded on it. The rest of us followed him. "Weasel! That's a nice joke you got there!" The blind shot up. Jack set coins on the counter. "I'll take my hundred." Wiesel crossed his arms.

"100 will cost you sixty, Jack." He said. Jack's jaw clenched.

"I ain't paying no sixty." Wiesel leaned forward setting his hands on the counter. I could see the Delancey brothers snickering behind him.

"If you ain't paying no sixty, make way for someone who will." Wiesel explained making it seem like we were dumb. Jack slammed the counter with his hand, making Wiesel jump. He grabbed his money.

"Fine. We'll just take a hike on over to The Journal." Jack said slowly. I could tell he was suppressing anger by how he was speaking. The group of us turned our backs on the office. Specs, Finch, and Sniper ran in through the gates.

"The Journal has upped their prices too." Specs said breathing heavily. From anger or from running, I couldn't tell. Jack crossed his arms and looked back at Wiesel.

"We's going to The Sun then." What Wiesel said in return was going to change out lives.

"It's the same price everywhere, kids. It's a new day which means a new price." My heart sunk. How were we going to afford this? By then, the wagons were empty of papers. Jack swung up onto the closest one and squatted down to our level.

"Guys, huddle up." We didn't budge. Jack waved his hand impatiently. "Come on!" We reluctantly circled around him. Davey was the first to speak.

"They can't just change the price like that, can they?"

"Why not? It is their paper." Race answered. I saw the fear that was causing my heart to pound reflected in the eyes of the younger boys.

"It ain't fair. We got rights!" Finch complained.

"This is just giving us the right to starve!" I exclaimed looking at finch then the rest of the group. "I say we just hit the streets while we still can. We'll just pay the-"

"We ain't paying no new nothing!" Jack interrupted cutting me off. Race scoffed.

"You got any ideas?" Jack put out his hand stopping Race from saying anything else.

"Keep your shirt on. I'm thinking."


	8. Chapter 6

_Continuation of chapter five_

Les let out a huff. "Stop crowding the guy!" He proceeded to push us all back. Jack remained indifferent while Les yelled. "Let the man breathe!" We stood in silence for a few seconds. Les continued to look at Jack eagerly. "Jack, you still thinking?" Race laughed.

"Can't you smell the smoke?" I hit his arm, a smile tugging on my lips. Suddenly, Jack's whole demeanor changed. Something had sparked together in his head. He waved us in.

"Come here." He whispered excitedly. "How about this? If we don't sell papes, no one will. We'll make them out the prices back where they were that way." He explained, and a few of the boys started to nod in agreement.

"Wait." Davey said stepping closer to Jack. "You mean like a strike?" Jack snapped his fingers and pointed at him.

"You heard Davey. We're on strike!" The boys let out a cheer. Davey waved his hands.

"Hold on!" Jack ignored him.

"We'll be just like them trolley workers!" Jack exclaimed. The boys went silent.

"Half of them are laid up with broken bones." Finch said nervously. Jack brushed it off.

"We'd just kids. They can't do anything that bad."

"They could send us to The Refuge."

"If we get caught."

"What if we do?" Davey said grabbing Les' hand. "We ain't gonna be a part of this with those odds. We're just trying to feed our family." Davey shoved his way out of the circle, dragging Les behind him. Jack jumped off the wagon and ran after them.

"You think we're on playtime?" Jack yelled putting a hand on Davey's shoulder and spinning him around. "We got a right-"

"You ain't a union!" Davey yelled back. This silenced Jack for a moment. He then crossed his arms and spoke in a calm tone of voice.

"What if I say we is?" Davey rolled his eyes.

"You need a lot more than just saying it like membership."  
Davey explained.

"What do ya call these guys?" Jack gestured to us, and we waved.

"You also need officers."

"I nominated Jack as president!" I said limping forward to Jack's side, he smiled and threw an arm over my shoulders. He cocked an eyebrow at Davey.

"You need a purpose too." He sighed.

"What's that?" Race called. Davey stopped chewing his lip, possibly a nervous habit of his.

"A purpose is your reason for forming a union." Jack was thinking by his expression. Dropping his arm from around me, he stood on a nearby bench.

"How 'bout this? Our union is hereby formed to watch each other's backs. Unioned we stand. Hey, that's good. Someone write that down." Les held up his hand.

"I got a pencil!" Jack pointed at him.

"Our Secretary of State." We clapped, and Les positively glowed. Davey stepped up to Jack.

"If you wanna strike, the membership's gotta vote." Our excitement was electrifying the air around us. Jack turned to us, a huge smile on his face.

"The choice is yours, fellas and Celia." I smiled. "Are you going to let Pulitzer pick our pockets or are we going to strike?" The yell was unanimous.

"STRIKE!" There was a loud crash from behind us. Wiesel stood, mouth agape, in the open doorway of the office. Shattered bottles of soda scattered the ground at his feet. The Delancey brothers were up against the windows, disbelief shadowing their faces. Jack bowed dramatically in their direction.

"The newsies of lower Manhattan are officially on strike!" The boys erupted with hoots and hollers.

"Woah, hold on!" I yelled, and everyone went quiet. "Don't we gotta tell someone in charge?"

"It's be a pleasure to tell Weasel myself!" Race yelled. Wiesel scrambled back into the office, and the door slammed shut behind him causing a ripple of laughter to surge through our group.

"So it's definitely not going to be you, Race. Your odor would make everyone keep a ten foot radius away. Jack?" Everyone looked at him, and he looked at Davey.

"Who tells Pulitzer, Dave?" Davey sighed.

"I guess you do, Mr. President." He said climbing up beside Jack. He threw an arm around his shoulders. "Guys, we got a union!" The cheers were deafening.

"Come on. Why don't we go tell The World what's going on?" Jack yelled jumping off the bench. We began heading out towards the gates when Jack suddenly decided to climb the ladder to the headline board.

"Jack!" I warned. The man, who was still up there, backed up against the railing, the chalk held tight in his hand. "Davey, go after him." Davey quickly followed up the ladder. Jack was trying to convince the guy to give him the chalk, but I knew that he was getting frustrated. Davey got up to the walkway and pulled Jack away from the man, starting to reason with him for the chalk. Jack finally lost his patience and made a grab for the chalk. He pried it away easily. Davey was apologizing while Jack wiped away the headlines sloppily. In big letters he wrote the word STRIKE. We cheered until the two boys had rejoined us on the ground and the distribution office has disappeared from view. I was struggling to keep up with Jack, who was practically running it seemed. "Slow down!" I complained. He reduced his speed to a walk.

"Sorry, Celia." He said not having stopped smiling since we left.

"Excited?" He grinned even bigger.

"It feels so good to stand up for something. What about you? Are you excited?"

"I'm scared." I said looking down. Truth be told, what Finch had said about going to The Refuge had terrified me.

"Celia, there's nothing to be scared about. They can't do anything. We's kids. 'Member that we gots each other's backs. We're a union!" Jack pulled me closer to him. Looming in front of us, there stood the tall oak doors of The World's main office. Davey, Jack and Les opened the door and went inside together. The rest of us sat on the steps. After a few minutes there was a big commotion inside the doors. We got up and cleared the three steps just in time. The doors opened with a bang, and the three boys were tossed out onto the pavement. A man dressed in a fancy suit stood fuming in the doorway.

"And stay out!" He yelled with finality. Les got up and stomped up the steps towards him as the door started to close.

"YOU CAN TELL PULITZER THAT A FEW MINUTES INTO THIS STRIKE, HE'LL BE BEGGING TO SEE ME!" He screamed. The doors shut in his face. He turned back to face us, and we were silent with admiration. Les shrugged. "I think he got it."


	9. Chapter 7

_*the next two chapters will be shorter because together they were incredibly long*_

It was later in the afternoon when us newsies were taking up the entire front room of Gianni's Restaurant. Few people sat in chairs, and I was one of them. The rest were on tables or the counter. Gianni, the owner, was walking among the group handing out waters. He held up a glass. "Who's the big spender that wanted the seltzer?" Albert's hand shot up.

"Over here!"

"That'll be two cents." Gianni told him as he went over, navigating between the tables. Albert's jaw dropped.

"Two cents for a glass of seltzer?" He complained shaking his head. "Just give me water." Gianni rolled his eyes and handed Albert the "extra" glass on his tray.

"How did I ever see that coming?" Gianni disappeared into the kitchen. By the sound of pots and pans clanging together, there were workers in there. Davey stood up from his chair nearby and held his glass in the air for a toast.

"I'd say we launched our strike in the most auspicious manner." He said with a grin. Everyone looked around at each other. _What's that mean?_ I thought. By the look on the boys' faces, nobody else understood either. Mush shrugged.

"I don't know about that, but we sure scared the bejeebers out of Weasel!" He exclaimed. We all laughed and cheered.

"Did ya see the Delanceys?" I gasped between bouts of laughter. "They didn't know which way was up!" The laughter began to die down as people went back to their own individual conversations. Jack, who was sitting on the table beside me, called over to Davey.

"David! We got the strike started. What do we do now?" Everyone turned in Davey's direction, and he finished a sip of his water before speaking.

"Well, now we spread the word. Let the other newsies know about the strike." Jack nodded and stood atop the table.

"All right, boys. You heard him. Let's go spread the word." Mush threw up his hand.

"I'll take Harlem." He said with a smirk in my direction. I always teased him about going to Harlem. There was a girl there that he fancied.

"I got Midtown." Race called.

"I got the Bronx." Albert announced. Romeo stood up and stretched.

"I'll take the Valley, I guess." He said sleepily. He would be one to sleep all day given the chance. Jack clapped his hands together before dishing out more instructions.

"Specs, you take Queens." Specs saluted. "Sniper, you take the East Side." Sniper nodded. "Who wants Brooklyn?" The room went silent. Everyone was looking anywhere and everywhere except at Jack. Jack rolled his eyes. "Come on. It's Brooklyn, Spot Conlon's turf." Jack looked to Finch. Finch frankly was the easiest to break. "Hey Finch! You telling me you're scared of Brooklyn?" Finch got to his feet and pointed at Jack.

"Hey, I ain't scared of no turf." He glanced around nervously. "It's just Spot Conlon gets me a little jittery." Jack rolled his eyes as Finch sat back down. It's true. Spot Conlon made me nervous the first time I met him. He's in charge of one of the biggest newsie crews. He always carried around a cane though he wasn't crippled like me. Certain factors added up that could lead to nervousness about Brooklyn. Jack sat down and let his legs dangle over the edge of the table.

"Fine. Me and Davey will take Brooklyn." He said carelessly. Davey on the other hand choked on his water.

"What?" He sputtered and coughed. "Me?" Jack nodded.

"You." Davey shook his head.

"I-I gotta-" Davey stuttered.

"No, you-" Jack and Davey began to argue. It was one that Jack would probably win.

"Why is everyone so scared of Brooklyn?" A feminine voice asked from the doorway. All eyes turned to her. It was that reporter girl. Her auburn hair was curled up into a bun, and she wore a purple ensemble that looked like it cost a lot of money. She was smiling at the attention we were giving her. Jack got to his feet quickly and took of his hat.

"What are you doin' here?" He asked trying to sound cool. I stifled a laugh poorly, and Jack hit me with his hat. The girl laughed.

"Asking a question. Have you got an answer?" I smiled. I liked this girl's sass. From the expressions of the other boys, they liked it too. Jack brushed off her comment and crossed his arms.

"Brooklyn is the sixth largest city in the entire world. You got Brooklyn? You get the mother load." Jack laughed. "Hey, for someone who works for the New York Sun, you're spending an awful ton of time at The World. What's that about? You following me?" He playfully ducked behind Davey causing us to laugh. The girl just simply rolled her eyes, but her cheeks had turned slightly pink. She sighed.

"The only thing I'm following is a story. A ragtag gang of ragamuffins want to take on the king makers of New York. Do you think you have a chance?" She explained. I was impressed by how fast word had gotten out. Jack scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be at the ballet?" He taunted. He spun around with his arms above his head and slipped, falling to the ground. We roared with laughter.


	10. Chapter 8

_*continuation of chapter 7*_

Jack picked himself off the ground. The girl frowned. "Is the question too difficult?" She asked. A few of the boys chuckled. She waved her hand. "I'll rephrase. Um, will the richest and most powerful men in New York give the time of day to a gang of kids without a nickel to their name?" She said as she walked among the tables. I stood up.

"Hey, you don't gotta be insulting." She began to walk over about to apologize, but I smiled. "I got a nickel." I announced proudly. She winked with a smile. She turned back to Jack.

"So, I'd guess you would say you're a couple of Davids looking to take on Goliath." She hopped up onto a table, her legs swinging off the edge. Davey got to his feet.

"Uh, we never said that." The girl looked round at him.

"You didn't have to. I did." She said with a smirk. Jack sat on the table beside her. She slid over subltly. I stifled a laugh at her expression. Jack didn't seem to notice.

"I've read a lot of papes in my day." Jack said trying to sound wise. "I ain't never heard of a girl reporter writing hot news." The girl snapped her fingers in his face.

"Wake up to the new century. The game is changing. So, how about an exclusive interview?" Jack laughed.

"Ain't your bit entertainment?" He asked. The girl looked around at us.

"Oh, this is entertaining." Jack huffed.

"What's the last news story you wrote?" He asked crossing his arms. The girl mimicked him.

"What's the last strike you organized?" She asked right back. We broke out in laughter.

"I like this gal!" Race called, and many of the boys nodded their heads. Romeo sauntered over to Jack, whose cheeks had gone red. Romeo patted his shoulder.

"You're out of your league, Kelly." He stepped closer to the girl and leaned in. "Methinks the lady needs to be handled by a real man." He pointed to himself with a wink. The girl put a hand on his chest and pushed him away gently.

"You thinks wrong, Romeo." The boys laughed as Romeo quickly retreated and sat beside me.

"How did she know my name?" He whispered in my ear. I nonchalantly shook my head.

"I don't know." I answered even though it was obvious. Davey walked over to the girl.

"I say we save this exclusive for a real reporter." The girl scoffed at his comment and waved her hands around the room.

"Do you see somebody else here giving you the time of day?" She asked before getting to her feet. "All right. All right. So I'm just busting out of the social pages, but if you give me the exclusive, let me run with the story. I promise I'll get you the space." The room was silent.

"You really think we could be in the papes?" I asked tentatively. The girl nodded.

"Shutting down a paper like The World? You're gonna make the front page." Excited chatter broke out as the reality of what we were accomplishing set in. Jack stood up.

"You want a story?" He asked, and the girl turned towards him with a satisfied grin. She opened her notebook without even looking and had a pencil ready within seconds. "Be in front of the distribution gates tomorrow morning, and bring a camera. Tomorrow, We's stopping the wagons. You're gonna want to snap a picture of that!" The kitchen door slammed open with a bang before any one of us could cheer. Gianni stumbled in, his arms full of menus.

"Let's go boys! I gotta get ready for the dinner crowd." The boys groaned as they got up from tables and chairs.

"Gianni! You won't be shooing us out when we get our mugs in the pape!" Race announced as he high fived Buttons. We filed out of the restaurant.

"Hey Celia!" I heard Mush call for me. He was about ten feet way walking with Elmer.

"What?"

"You wanna come with me and Elmer?" I shrugged. I didn't have anyone else to got with, and everyone else seemed to be going out anyways.

"Sure!" I limped over to them, and we began to walk side by side towards the street that would take us to Harlem. Mush nudged me with his shoulder.

"What's up with Jack and that girl?" He asked. I looked behind me. Jack and the girl were talking, and she was scribbling in her notebook. Jack had a smile on his face that was one I had never seen before.

"I don't know, but he ain't ever acted this way before."


	11. Author's Note

Hey! Shoutout to Ealasaid! Thanks for reviewing this. It's nice to know someone has been keeping up with it! Right now, I'm following the story of the musical, but be prepared for some headcannons afterwards. Next chapter or chapters, depending on how long they are, is the climax of Celia's story!


	12. Chapter 9

The next morning Elmer, Henry, and I were making our way to the distribution square. A few of the boys had already gone over this morning. Jack was one of them. I was quivering with excitement or fear. I couldn't tell the difference. Elmer and Henry were talking idly about their breakfast or something. I wasn't really paying attention. The flag I had sown hastily to my crutch brushed my arm with each step. The _strike _written on it had finished drying not long before we left. We turned the corner, and I expected the square to be full with protesting kids with signs. That was not the case. It was completely empty. "Where is everybody?" Elmer asked as we paused to take it in. I shrugged off his question.

"They're probably on their way. They's coming from all over, remember?" I moved on and left the boys to follow behind me. The gates to the office were open. As we got closer, I spotted only six of our guys. Specs stood up on the headline board balcony, and he waved to us sullenly. Jack leaned against the gate, picking at the ground with his shoe. Les sat beside him on the ground. His elbows rested on his knees and his head on his fists. Davey looked like he was trying to reason with Mush and Race. The latter was shaking his head. I hurried up to Jack. "Hey Jack!" He looked up and put on a quick smile.

"Hey Celia."

"See what I made?" Using the gate to keep my balance, I lifted my crutch in the air with a yell. The flag shook in the wind, and the boys smiled.

"Celia, that's great!" Race exclaimed. He turned to Davey. "That's pitiful." He whispered.

"I can hear you," I said re-adjusting the crutch under my arm. He mouthed that he was sorry.

"Who's to judge? Maybe Pulitzer will see it out his window and feel sorry for us." Les said standing up from the ground and shrugging his shoulders. Jack sighed.

"Specs?" He yelled upwards. Specs leaned over the railing. "Any sign of re-enforcements?" Specs shook his head and gave a thumbs down. Race groaned, and Mush smacked the gate angrily. Jack looked at Davey, who was the better one at stringing words together. "Dave?"

"Guys, courage cannot erase our fears! Courage is when we face them. We need to tell those with power that are sitting safe in their offices that we will not obey! We have to seize today!" Davey said trying to uplift our hopes. Nobody reacted to his words. He sighed. I stepped up.

"Okay, so what that we are too few in number? We're here because we're also too proud to hide. You could call us a brave battalion that stand side by side. Think of those that aren't here or didn't follow through. They're still our brothers! We have to fight for them. Remember our purpose?" I said looking at each of the boys in turn. "We got each other's backs." The bell rang through the courtyard. Jack turned to us with a smile.

"This is it, boys. Let's stare down the odds. Once we've begun we stand together. This strike starts right now!" The cheers were amplified by the rest of our newsboys, who had come up behind us. We lined up opposite of the distribution office. Its door opened. Wiesel and the Delancey brothers came out. Each of the brothers had a set of brass knuckles on one hand. Wiesel held a baseball bat. He smiled, looking around him with a serene expression.

"The sun is up! The birds are singing! It sure is a beautiful day to crack some heads." He said happily. He slammed the bat against the side of a nearby wagon, and I jumped.

"Hey," Morris spoke up. "either you're workin' or you is trespassing. What's your pleasure?" He and his brother smiled. I'm sure they would like us to be trespassing over working. That way they could pound us to a pulp. Suddenly, I got shoved over. Three boys pushed through our formation and headed towards the office. A cry arose from the boys. The Delanceys and Wiesel chuckled and went back into the office.

"Who are they?" Davey yelled. Jack stomped his foot in front of one, and the kid shrunk back and went around.

"What do you think? They's scabbers!" Jack exclaimed. Finch was fuming beside me. He started to storm towards the office.

"They think they can waltz in here and take our jobs?" He yelled. Jack and Davey shoved him back and tried to console the fast-growing mob.

"Let's soak 'em!" Somebody yelled. There was a surge forward.

"STOP!" Davey yelled. "Stop." The crowd stopped squirming, but their anger was being kept just beneath the surface. "We all stay together or we don't have a chance!" Finch again made a break for it. Davey tossed him back. "Jack!"

"I know! I hear ya." Jack said waving his hand. Our mob went quiet. The three kids stood close to the office, obvious fear on their faces. The oldest was probably fifteen, and the youngest was around thirteen. The two oldest had fiery red hair and could have been brothers. The little guy had hair as fair as mine. Jack took a deep breath. "Listen fellas, I know someone put youse up to this. They's probably paying you some extra money too. Yeah?" The little guy nodded his head.

"Yeah." He said quietly. One of the boys elbowed him.

"Well, it ain't right!" Jack yelled before quieting. "Pulitzer thinks we are gutter rats with no respect for nothing including each other. Is that who we are? Huh? We's stabbing each other in the back? Yeah, that's what we are. But if we stand together, we change the whole game. It ain't just about us. All across this town there are boys and girls who ought to be out playing or going to school. Instead they are slaving away to support themselves and their folks. Ain't no crime in being poor and neither one of us complains the the work we do is hard. All we ask is a square deal! Fellas, for the sake of all the kids in every sweatshop and factory slaughterhouse in this town, I bet you throw down your papers and join the strike."

"Please?" Les asked. The square was silent. The youngest kid began to walk over to Jack. The others tried to stop him, but he easily broke free. He stopped directly in front of Jack. Time seemed to freeze.


	13. Chapter 10

"I'm with you!" The kid yelled and threw his papers on the ground. We cheered as he joined our group. The other boys tightened their grip on their own papers. They decided to try and brave the group. A few feet from us, Davey and Jack cornered the two in between them.

"Answer the call! Don't wait for the price to go up even higher. If we stand together, wrongs will be righted." Davey explained. The kid in front of him tossed away his papers with a shrug.

"You're kidding me, right?" The oldest and last kid exclaimed. "Jake!" The other turned at the mention of his name.

"At the end of the day, who are you going to trust? Huh, Michael?" Jake pointed to our group. "Them?" He moved his finger to Wiesel and the Delanceys. They had come out of the office, amazed at what was unfolding in front of them in the square. "Or them?"

"Jake, I-" Michael called but silenced himself when his brother turned away and joined the group. Michael tried to step around Davey, but Davey just moved with him.

"Just hear us out. We need to let them hear our cries loud and clear. Whether they like it or not, we are drawing closer. We gotta stand proud if we are going to bring Pulitzer down to our level. Today is judgment day!" Davey told him. The group was silent. The kid was obviously debating, looking back and forth between the two sides. He sighed loudly.

"Aw, what the hell?" He tossed his papers behind him and shrugged his shoulders. "My father's gonna kill me anyways." He moved so he stood behind Jack. Wiesel and the Delanceys stood on shock. Jack gave them an award-winning smile.

"What'd ya say, newsies?" Jack spoke calmly, but there was a tinge of excitement in his voice. "Let's go!" With a yell, the boys surged forward. Wiesel scrambled backwards and shut himself up in the office. However the Delanceys stayed to fight. I kept back just like Jack had told me to last night. To be frank I was fine with staying out of the fight. The boys went straight for the unloaded wagons. Only a few kids were held up by the Delanceys. Within seconds, ripped and crumbled pieces of paper filled the air. One wagon was quickly emptied and overturned. A couple more followed it. A cry caught my attention. Les had been found from his hiding spot under a wagon and was tossed into Morris' shoulder. Davey, his face red with anger, punched Morris in the face and took back his brother. Les, to let a little bit of frustration out, stomped his heel down on Morris' foot before running off. The Delancey brothers decided to retreat into the office, and there was a great cheer.

"Woah." Someone said behind me. I spun to find the reporter, Katherine as Jack had found out she was named, and a man carrying a camera. She was looking around incredulously. "You're actually doing it." I nodded.

"Jack!" I yelled and then waved for Katherine to follow me. I weaved in and out of exuberant kids and found Jack celebrating atop an overturned wagon. He smiled when he saw us.

"Hey boys! Gather up for a picture." Most of the boys crowded around the base of the wagon. Jack had an arm around my shoulders as Katherine put the finishing touches on our placement. The man disappeared under a piece of fabric and held up the switch. With a cloud of smoke, I knew the picture had been taken. We were about to go down in history! I limped over to Katherine to talk to her and walk her to the gates. The boys went back to destroying the papers, but then a shrill whistle blew. Everyone turned towards the office. Wiesel, the Delanceys, and some of the men who worked in sorting the papers had lined up. Many of them carried weapons made of some kind of metal. It was silent for a second. With a yell, the newsies threw bundles of papers at the opposing side and charged. I turned to Katherine and the photographer.

"You better get out of here!" I said trying to push them towards the gates faster. Katherine then did something that surprised me. She gave me a hug.

"Be careful." She whispered in my ear before she and the man had disappeared out the gates. I backed up out of the way as the sounds of a battle filled the air. I stayed close to a wall. As the minutes ticked by, the tides began to turn. We were losing. Jack was up on a fire escape dodging blows from a guy not much older than myself. Another whistle blew that was different from before. Romeo, who was fighting a few feet from me, cheered.

"'Bout time you got here! We're getting slaughtered!" He exclaimed turning around to meet our re-enforcements. I gasped when I realized it wasn't who we thought it was. Romeo stumbled back as Snider and the police came in. The fight began to turn into panic swinging. Someone pulled roughly on my arm. I looked up to find Oscar Delancey. I could see Morris behind him heading our way.

"No!" I screamed, starting to fight against Oscar's steel grip. "Albert? Mush!" I tried to find them, but it seemed like everyone was being held up.

"Celia!" I found Davey running towards me and let out a sigh in relief. He ran up to Morris and swung his fist, but Morris was faster. He punched Davey square in the face, and Davey hit the ground. Thankfully, Morris hadn't used the hand holding the brass knuckles. He continued to us. He reached us in seconds and grabbed hold of my other arm. The brothers started to drag me to the office, which would lead out onto the street and most likely to a carriage.

"No! Please!" I looked around wildly. "Race! Jack!" I finally spotted Jack still on the fire escape at the very top. He turned when I yelled his name. I doubted he could reach me in time. This was it. I started to panic, and tears started to fall. Only the sound of tearing fabric brought me out of hysteria. I turned to Morris and saw he had torn my flag from my crutch. That was the last straw. If I was going to go down, I was going to go down with a fight. I used my crutch as a weapon and swung it so it connected with Morris' head. He collapsed. Oscar spun me around, and his fist smashed across my cheekbone with a glint of brass. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. With a cry, I fell to the ground. It took me a second to clear my head before I realized what had happened. I reached for my crutch blindly. My tears and the pain ringing through my head made it hard for me to focus. My cheek was in excruciating pain. Just as my fingers brushed the wood of my crutch, it was ripped away. I turned on my back. Snider stood above me, my crutch raised in his hands. "Please." I gasped. He sneered and brought the crutch down on my ribs once, twice, three times. My body spasmed involuntarily with each hit. I was left gasping and coughing. With a hard yank, someone pulled my arm up from its curled position on my chest. Cold metal slid onto my wrist. The same happened to my other arm.

"It's off to The Refuge with you, little girl." Snider announced with finality as he let my arms fall back down. The next three words almost stopped my heart. "Take her away." The Delancey brothers grabbed me roughly and pulled me to my feet. I couldn't tame the hard sobs that were ripping through my body, and I went into full-on hysterics.

"Please! No! Jack!" I screamed. I met Jack's eyes. He was frozen on the fire escape, knuckles turning white as he gripped the railing. The door to the office was closing in front of me, the sounds of the fight dying out. "JACK!" I heard him call my name just as the door closed. I collapsed, giving in to the oncoming darkness.


	14. Chapter 11

"Crip!" A voice yelled in my ear. I jerked awake and winced as my body protested the slight movement. My eyes took a second to adjust. I was laying on a bench in a closed off carriage. My head rested near the open door. Oscar Delancey stood outside with a bored expression. "Get up. Your new home awaits." I sat up and silenced the cry I almost uttered as all the pain came rushing back. The skin on my face felt caked on because of the dried blood that had come from the cuts made by the brass knuckle. My side and cheek throbbed with every breath. My head still spun a little bit, and tears sprung up in my eyes. I blinked them back and grabbed my crutch which was on the ground.

"Just drag her out!" I heard Morris say. Oscar reached in and grabbed hold of my arm roughly. I yanked it out of his grasp.

"I'm coming." I said quietly. I stumbled out of the wagon, and Morris caught me before I fell. I adjusted my crutch and found my balance. "Thank you." I muttered looking up at him. He nodded once.

"Move." Snider said pushing me forward. The falling apart brick Refuge stood before me. Four stories held things that Jack still wouldn't talk about. Oscar pulled open the door, and I limped inside at the front of the group. Already the pain in my back was causing more tears, and seeing the several flights of stairs to my right made me want to cry again. The air was stale, and the smell was even worse then the boys after a day of work in the heat of summer. I didn't even know that it was possible. Snider took hold of my arm and turned me towards the stairs. "Up." Apparently, he liked one-worded commands. By the time we reached the first floor landing, I couldn't stop the tears that fell with each step. Oscar was getting mad.

"Can't you move any faster?" He groaned from behind me. Snider proceeded to half walk and half drag me up the rest of the stairs to the third floor. There were three closed doors, one in front of me and on either side. Snider opened the one before us and pushed me in. I instantly felt claustrophobic. Five bunks had been shoved in here, but there were about twenty-five boys in the room presently. The had a look of surprise upon seeing me, but immediately became serious and stood when they saw who I was with.

"Boys, meet your new roommate." Snider announced. I didn't look up from the ground. The tears had yet to stop so I wiped them away furiously. Snider pushed me farther into the room. I stumbled, choking back a sob. My crutch fell to the ground, and I knew if I moved in the slightest I would fall over. "You are to be down at my office in thirty minutes." I didn't respond. "Did you hear me?" He yelled, and I jumped.

"Yes," I said trying to keep my voice as still as possible. "thirty minutes." The door closed, and the three sets of footsteps faded away. The pain finally made my knees buckle, and a pair of hands caught me. I shied away from them, shaking my head.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." A soothing male voice said. He swept me into his arms. "Isaac, go get a wet cloth." He said carrying me over to a bed. He set me down, and I wiped away enough tears to see who the boy was. He was probably Jack's age with light brown hair and kind blue eyes. A splash of freckles sprinkled his nose. He touched my cheek gently. "You got some nasty cuts and bruises, but I don't think it's broken." A younger kid around eight or nine, who must have been Isaac, came over with a piece of fabric that was damp. I took it gratefully.

"Thank you." I said. I held it against my cheek, and the coolness soothed the pain. I began to wipe away the blood.

"What's your name?" The older boy asked.

"Celia."

"I'm Andrew."

"We ain't never had a girl here before." Isaac said hopping up on the bed beside me. "This is a first for someone like you to live with all of us boys."

"I live with all boys back home." I smiled thinking about all the newsies. I stopped the thought in its tracks before I could start crying again. Andrew sensed my discomfort and changed the subject.

"So what's your story?" He asked. "How'd you end up here?" I sighed then dove into telling the story. I started from yesterday morning with the price change all the way till now. I thankfully got through it without crying. Some of the boys started asking about the strike, and I saw an older boy lean down and whisper in Andrew's ear. Andrew's face dropped.

"What is it?" I asked before remembering what Snider had told me. "It's time for me to go to his office now, right?" The boys all looked sad. A boy helped me up and handed me my crutch.

"Celia, I'll help you." Andrew said before standing beside me. "I can take you to the last set of stairs, but not any farther. We ain't allowed to be seen out of our rooms this close to supper. I guess they had a problem with a kid stealing food a few years ago." I laughed with the knowledge that it was Jack being the troublemaker. Andrew gave me a weird look. "I'm guessing you know who it was." I nodded. A boy named Alexander helped me climb onto Andrew's back, and we left the room. When we reached the last landing before the bottom level, Andrew set me down. I fixed my crutch and smiled about to thank him when I noticed his expression.

"What?" I asked getting nervous. What was up with all these boys?

"Celia, I'm so sorry for what you are about to go through." My breathing hitched in my throat, and tears started to form. I put my hands over my face.

"I'm so stupid!" I groaned. Of course, the torture wasn't over yet. They need information about the strike.

"Don't cry!" Andrew whispered pulling my hands away from my face. "It only will make him madder. It might not be that bad. You are a girl!" I blinked back the tears and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I just took a fist to the face so I'm happy they were easy on me. I ain't gonna get no sympathy!"

"I'll wait up for you." Andrew said.

"You'll miss supper. You should eat." Andrew smiled sadly.

"You sound like my mom. Better head down. The office is straight across from the stairs. Good luck." Andrew headed back upstairs quietly. I limped down the last set of stairs and to the office. I knocked softly.

"Come in." A voice called from inside. I entered the smoky and dimly-lit office and shut the door behind me. Snider slouched behind a desk, a filthy cigar hanging from his mouth. A cruel looking boy in his twenties stood behind him. They both had smiles that made me want to run. Snider sat up. "You're late."


	15. Chapter 12

_"JACK!" I scream, limping over to his motionless body. I kneel beside him. His breathing is shallow, and I can just barely recognize his face under the blood and damage from the fight. The fight that I had started trying to escape from The Refuge. I glance down at my hands and see that they are covered in blood. It could be mine. I look up from them, trying to find help. I scream at the sight of what surrounds me. Bodies of the newsboys scatter the square. All are unmoving. Mush is the closest, about twenty feet away. Blood pours out of the bullet wound in his forehead. Davey's beside him, crying over his younger brother's broken body. "Davey!" I call to him. Jack's breathing grows more faint as each second ticks by. Davey turns to me. I scramble backwards. Davey isn't Davey anymore. His eyes are clouded over, and there's a definite dent in his skull._

_"Your fault." He growls, standing up. I blinked and suddenly all the newsboys and Jack are behind him. Davey took a single step forward._

_"No! I didn't mean to get caught!" I choke out, my throat feeling like it is closing. The group began to move in my direction. My crutch had disappeared so I started to crawl backwards, my hands finding the ground wet and sticky. I scream and scream, but the lines keep advancing. Suddenly, Davey has a hold of me and shakes me._

_"Celia." He whispers in a different tone of voice. I shut my eyes._

"Celia!" Andrew whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes with a gasp. I was disoriented for a moment before I recognized my surroundings. I was laying on my back on the floor of my room at The Refuge. Andrew was kneeling beside me, looking at the closed door anxiously. He looked back down at me. "You awake now?" I nodded. He helped me sit up. My body screamed in pain. I was hurting from the fall off my bed and Snider's interrogation. I wouldn't even be up here if not for Andrew. He had found me outside the office, delirious with pain. I was unable to walk because my good leg had been beaten so badly. Snider's minion, Danny, had snapped my crutch in half. I scooted backwards so I was leaning against my bunk. In the moonlight I could see multiple boys turning over to go back to sleep.

"Sorry." I whispered. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and scooted back to sit with me.

"It's all right."

"Did I wake you too?" Andrew shook his head.

"Nope. I've been up for a while. I got the patrol watch for this floor."

"Patrol? Are you a cop or something?" I asked laughing.

"No! It's called nightmare patrol. Since we got so many kids here, and this ain't a nice hotel, they happen often. Snider don't like being woken up by screaming kids. Each of us older boys on every floor take shifts. We try to get to the kid before he cause too much damage."

"I'll stay up with you then."

"You should sleep!" Andrew protested. I shook my head.

"Don't think I can. Nightmares bother me too." We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the chorus of snores echoing around the room.

"So how did it happen?" Andrew asked.

"How what happened?"

"Your leg." Andrew pointed to it. I sighed.

"We don't really know. About two years ago Race, one of the newsies at the lodge, had woken me up to get ready for the day's work. I went to stand, but the leg was just numb. I still don't got any feeling." I explained. Andrew looked like he was thinking.

"Just went numb?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"What was going on 'round then?" I thought the question was a bit random, but I still answered it.

"Jack, who is like my brother, had just been thrown in here."

"So you'd say you was under stress?"

"I guess so. What's with all the questions?"

"I think you got something called psychosomatic disorder." I looked at Andrew.

"Psycoso-what?"

"Psychosomatic disorder. It means that you got something like a self-induced injury."

"You think I'm just doing this to myself?" My voice raised considerably. Andrew shushed me, and a couple of the boys nearby muttered curses.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"My brother was run over by a wagon three years ago. When he died, my mother stopped talking. It was very tragic, and all of us were affected. We thought she was just grieving,but she still wasn't able to speak when things started to turn around. The doctors diagnosed her with psychosomatic disorder. It's a thing where stress causes your mind to send nerves out of wack with an injury you already had. My mother was recovering from a throat infection."

"I had just twisted my ankle trying to run to Jack. Did your mom ever get her voice back?" I asked, barely containing the joy that there could be a cure.

"There ain't any medicine, but she eventually learned to speak again."

"So if I worked on it, I might be able to walk again?" I blinked back tears while Andrew nodded.

"I'm sure of it." A thought occurring to me stopped a squeal of joy escaping my mouth.

"But when?" I'm sure if Snider saw me learning to walk, he'd be pretty ticked because that means he defiantly would have another mouth to feed. Pretty sure he is hoping I won't last long so he can get more cigars." Andrew and I laughed. I never had noticed how luminescent his eyes were. Those eyes got big.

"I got it! I usually have watch from on to three every night. No one else is up other than the boys on watch. We could practice then. The boys wouldn't mind. I think they love you already. At least the younger ones do."

"One to three?"

"Oh, do you need your beauty sleep? You should probably get more of that." I punched Andrew in the arm. "Ow!" I laughed at his expression.

"No. That's fine with me. I don't need that much sleep anyways." I rested my head against Andrew's shoulder. After a few more minutes, I caught my eyes starting to close. "I take back that statement." I said sleepily. Andrew helped me up into the bed that the boys had so courteously vacated for me. Andrew sat back on the ground. I fell asleep rather quickly and began to dream of walking across a stage to take my bow after my first performance.


	16. Chapter 13

It was just after curfew when Andrew decided to check downstairs with the older kid on watch about one of the boys that had a high fever. I sat near the window looking at the night sky. There was a tug on my shirt. Seven-year-old Charlie stood beside me. He was the youngest kid here and had become my new friend, a orphan just like me. "Do you need help to get back to bed?" He asked sweetly. I smiled.

"I'm all right for now. I like looking at the stars." I explained. His face dropped. "Would you like to look at them with me?" He smiled and nodded. He climbed onto my lap which hurt, but I ignored it. The stars were sometimes hard to see in the city, but the view tonight was gorgeous. "Charlie, did you know that I used to live on a rooftop?"

"Ain't that dangerous?" He asked. I laughed.

"Only if you ain't careful. We never slept near the edge and always took the stairs. Never take a fire escape. They can't be trusted."

"But that guy is."

"What?" Charlie pointed through the bars on the window to a dark figure climbing up the ladder. The person stepped into the moonlight. "Jack!" I knocked on the window, and he turned in our direction. "Help me open up this window." Charlie and I successfully pushed the window pane up. Jack knelt on the other side. Dark circles were under eyes, and a nasty bruise had formed around one of his eyes. "You look awful." Jack laughed.

"Thanks. You don't look that gorgeous either." I smiled. Charlie was looking at Jack, amazed by what had just happened in front if him.

"Charlie, this is my brother."

"Hey bud." Jack said waving his hand.

"Are you Santa?" Charlie asked. We laughed.

"Sorry, I ain't him." Jack smiled mischievously. "I do got a present though." Jack pulled a loaf of bread from behind his back. Charlie clapped his hands together as Jack passed the bread to me. I tore off a piece before handing it over to Charlie.

"Share with the other boys." I told him. His smile never faltered as he took a piece for himself then went around the room to share. Once the boys were chattering among themselves quietly, I turned back to Jack. "You didn't come to just give us food, did you?" He winked.

"Nah. I'm gonna bust you out!" He said. I noticed the rope hanging over his shoulder.

"Jack." I shook my head.

"Celia," Jack mimicked my tone. "just meet me are the entrance to the roof. It's only opened from the inside." Jack went on, and I kept trying to explain what had happened to my legs and how I still couldn't walk.

"Jack!" I said loudly. He went silent as did the rest of the room. I lowered my voice, hoping I hadn't been heard by Snider. "I can't."

"What do ya mean you can't?" Jack frowned. "Just grab your crutch and-"

"I don't have one anymore. Snider's guy, Danny, snapped it in two when I got here."

"Who cares 'bout the crutch? Just let me in, and I'll carry you out." I finally snapped.

"I can't walk!" I looked down, trying to wipe away the tears that had started to fall. Jack was quiet. "They beat me too bad."

"They what?" Jack yelled, startling me. There was a loud sound of a door downstairs, and heavy feet started up the staircase. I turned from the door back to Jack.

"You have to leave! Snider's coming!"

"Celia, I ain't leaving without you." Jack protested.

"You have to!" I grabbed him arm and pulled him closer to kiss his cheek. I pushed him back. "Don't give up on the strike." He nodded then disappeared. I yanked the window shut. The footsteps were getting closer. Charlie appeared at my side, ready to help me to my bunk. I shook my head. "There's no time. You get in your bed."

"Celia!" Charlie complained.

"I'll be fine. Hurry!" I told him. He jumped into a nearby bed, and the room went silent as the footsteps reached the landing. I took a deep breath, and the door was pushed open violently. Snider stumbled in, obviously drunk. The smell of cigars and liquor filled the room. He turned on the light. The boys remained motionless. I tried to stay expression-less as he made his way over to me.

"Why are you at the window?" He slurred. His breath reeked of drink. He was squinting at the glass then back at me. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I was just looking at the stars." I said acting innocent. He sneered.

"Looking at the stars. How cute. Get in bed."

"I need help, sir." He laughed loudly in my face.

"You got two legs!"

"Yes, but I can't use them because-"

"They ain't workin'? GET UP!" He yelled, and I jumped.

"Sir-"

"NOW!" I grabbed ahold of a window bar and pulled myself up to my foot. I kept my mouth sealed as the pain hit. I knew all eyes were on me. My knees buckled, and I fell onto the cold ground. I gasped and turned to look at Snider.

"I'm sorry."

"You really are useless. If your legs don't work, why do you need them?" He clumsily took a knife from his jacket. I tried to pull myself away. I screamed as he brought the knife down.

"SIR," A voice yelled from the doorway. The knife stopped, and I let out a shaky breath. Snider turned to see who had spoken. Andrew stood just inside the door. He was pointing outside to the stairs. "I just saw a boy go down the fire escape!" He met my eyes when Snider turned to the window.

"When?"

"Just now on the second floor. He's probably just reaching the bottom floor by now." Snider looked back at me. He leaned down and put the tip of the knife against my cheek.

"I'll get you next time." He said and scratched the knife across the skin. He out it back in his jacket and left the room, shoving last Andrew. Once he was gone I sat up. The cut on my cheek stung from my tears. Andrew ran over and knelt beside me as did a few others.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked. I slapped him.

"You sent him after Jack!" I said furiously. "If he gets caught-"

"Celia," Andrew said calmly. His cheek had gone red. "he's not going to catch Jack."

"But you-"

"Look outside." Andrew pointed to the window. Jack was up against the window, watching anxiously. He smiled and winked. He then climbed downwards. I turned back to Andrew. "Snider's so drunk that he won't even make it outside."

"I'm sorry I slapped you." I touched his cheek gently as he laughed.

"I've dealt with worse, but I understand why you did it. I must have one of the faces that you just want to slap. You seem like a slap-happy kind of person."

"Hey! Don't push it."


	17. Chapter 14

**Merry Christmas, everybody. This isn't my best work because I rushed, but it is just a filler anyways. I have the outline for the next chapter which will be last :( It will be followed by an epilogue, but keep your eye out for some short little headcannons in the future. **

Five days had passed quickly. I hadn't seen Jack since that first night. Davey and Spot Conlon had been by two days ago, looking for him. Apparently, he hadn't gone back to the lodgehouse the previous night. Davey told me they were holding a rally. Brooklyn had finally joined the strike. It was mid-morning at The Refuge. Isaac, Andrew, and I were on the bottom floor. Charlie, who had been caught screaming down the hallway this morning, was in the office with Snider. Isaac was helping me walk up and down the lobby, trying to practice even more. Andrew lounged on the stairs reading the crumbled piece of paper that had been posted on our window sometime last night. "Man, they prints a good paper." Andrew said in admiration. _The Newsie Banner _had printed off by our very own newsboys asking the working children of the city to stand up for their cause. I nodded absentmindedly.

"It was probably written by Katherine, but that is one of Jack's drawings." I told him. I went back to concentrating on my legs. Andrew folded the paper up and put it in his pocket.

"He got it perfect. Wonder if it worked." He said. I tripped for what felt like the 500th time. I groaned in frustration.

"It's hopeless!" I sighed. I made Isaac take me over to the stairs. I sunk down beside Andrew, frowning.

"It ain't hopeless." Andrew laughed.

"You can't give up now, Celia!" Isaac said sitting on the other side of Andrew.

"Look at all the progress you've made!" Andrew exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"I ain't made no progress! The only thing that's different is I can stand without wanting to collapse in pain." I told them. I put my head in my hands. Andrew pried one of my hands from my face and held it in his own.

"Hey." He said quietly. I looked at him then he did something that took me by surprise. He placed a soft kiss on my lips. He pulled away long before I felt he should have. Isaac had a look of complete disgust. I ignored him, lost in Andrew's eyes. "Try again." He murmured. I nodded. Isaac helped me up.

"Your cheeks are red." He said as we began to walk.

"Shut up." I whispered. I knew my cheeks were burning, and my lips still tingled from the quick kiss. I started to daydream when Andrew let out a shout of excitement. Isaac and I turned to him. "What?"

"You don't know?" Andrew exclaimed. He was on the edge of a stair, his arms over his head like he was celebrating. "You just took a step." I looked down at my feet in surprise.

"I did?" Andrew nodded excitedly. Isaac shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't catch it." He said. Andrew looked like he was about to burst open. I laughed.

"Do you think you can try to do it again?" He asked. I sighed.

"I guess, but I didn't even know I did it last time." I told him. He waved it away.

"Come on." With Isaac's help, we went one full length of the lobby and back. I was concentrating, but my leg wouldn't work.

"Sorry." I said to Andrew. He frowned in concentration. "I really was trying." He smiled.

"I know, but it's progress. Maybe now you -" Suddenly, the front door of the building burst open. At least twelve policemen filed in quietly, hands resting on their pistols. Andrew leapt up and stood in front of me, one arm around me protectively. One of the policemen walked up to us. His badge said he was the head of the force.

"Hey kid," He said to Andrew. "know where I can find the man in charge?" Andrew nodded towards the office.

"He's in there speaking to one of the kids." He said quickly. The policemen gathered around the closed door. The head of police counted silently to three on his fingers then kicked open the door. They flooded the office, and we heard Snider yell. Charlie came running out after fighting through the men much bigger than him. He came to me crying and hugged me tight.

"It's okay." I said to him quietly. "They're the good guys." The men started to come back out.

"You over there!" One yelled to us. "Take a seat on that bench." We sat obediently and watched in silence as two of the biggest men on the squad dragged Snider out of the office. He was kicking and screaming like a little kid. I stifled a laugh. He looked in our direction.

"I'LL SMACK THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!" he yelled which made not trying to laugh even harder. I looked directly at him and winked. He began to curse at the top of his lungs, which didn't get silenced till the door had closed behind him. Several policeman that remained in the lobby during that whole event went upstairs. The head of police was talking on the phone in the office. He came out and headed in our direction. Andrew's hand tightened around mine. The guy looked decently nice, other than the fur ball growing above his mouth. He cleared his throat.

"One of you's Celia?" I took a deep breath.

"I-I am." I stuttered nervously. He extended a hand to me.

"You have to come with me." Andrew started to protest beside me. The guy laughed, and Andrew stuttered to a stop. "Calm down, kid. I ain't taking her to the slammer. I got special orders from the governor to take her to Distribution Square. Apparently, there's a strike going on." I took the guy's hand with a smile.

"The governor?" Andrew exclaimed beside me. I shrugged.

"Yeah, Jack knows him. They took a carriage ride together once."


	18. Chapter 15

**There will be an epilogue based one year into the future.**

Thankfully, I had been unconscious the last time I had ridden in a carriage like this. The current cramped quarters of the back had me on the verge of a panic attack. Three grown men, Andrew, and I didn't leave much room. I had the window though, and I was the first to see it. "Oh my goodness." I leaned closer to the window to see more.

"What is it?" Andrew asked trying to see around me. I sat back so the view was clear for him. His jaw dropped. "Woah." We were just pulling into the square which was filled to the brim with protesting kids and teenagers. They held signs and flags high in the air. I recognized some newsie symbols that represented different burrows of the city. Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Something just happened." the head of police said stating the obvious. I was amazed by the turnout. The wagon creaked to a stop before The World. Andrew leaned over me to push open the door.

"I'll help you out, Celia." He told me. The three policemen exited first, and Andrew followed. I pulled myself onto the first step. The crowd had thinned out here. The real celebration was down the street a bit in the square. I reached out, and Andrew grabbed around my waist and lifted me off the step to the ground. He steadied me, but the butterflies in my stomach continued to flutter. I started to search the crowd, looking to find familiar faces. Finally I spot my newsboys in one big pack. Tears of joy sprung up in my eyes.

"Hey Newsies!" I called to them. They turned to me. "Aren't you going to help a lady out?" All at once, recognition dawned on their faces. With scattered cries of my name, they rushed me. Mush, who was the biggest of the boys, reached me first. He lifted me high above the ground in a back-breaking hug. I was soon being passed around from each boy, hugging all of them tightly. By the end of the loop, I was full-on crying. Mush ruffled my hair.

"You ain't supposed to be crying!" he said smiling. He kept an arm around me to hold me up. I laughed.

"Sorry! I'm actually really happy to see you." I wiped away the tears.

"Jack told us about your crutch." Albert said. I spotted something being passed forward through the group. Romeo held out a new wooden crutch, a big grin on his face. I gasped and took it.

"You-?"

"We all chipped in and bought it for you!" Romeo told me.

"Thank you!" I adjusted it under my arm, but something felt off with my leg. I brushed it off. Andrew came up behind me, and I introduced him to all the boys. He then wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. I tried to ignore the blush in my cheeks. At that point Katherine and Miss Medda joined the group. I swatted Andrew's hands away and gave both the ladies hugs. "The article you wrote was wonderfully written, Katherine!" I told her. She smiled.

"Thank you!" she said. "It's good to see you, Celia. I'm very happy that you can still smile.""

"She's gonna need one if she is going to be onstage with me." Miss Medda said. I looked at her, completely stunned.

"Excuse me, but what did you just say?" I blurted out. Miss Medda laughed. The rest of the boys were smiling at me expectantly. Andrew's hands returned around my waist.

"Jack came to speak to me a few days ago." Medda said. "He asked if when you got our of The Refuge, I would let you join my company. Of course I said yes in a heartbeat. You don't have to audition either. I've heard you singing 'round the theater when you come with Jack. I also remember you singing at the Newsies Christmas party last year. You'll be getting a salary every week so you won't have to sell papers anymore. I hope you will start rehearsals tomorrow if you're ready. Will that be a problem?" I shook my head.

"No! I'll be there." I gave Miss Medda another hug. "Thank you so much." The boys began to congratulate me. "Did you guys know about this?" I asked them.

"Yeah." The boys said in unison. I punched Albert, who was the closest to me, in the arm.

"I can't believe you guys actually kept your big mouths shut!" I said giggling. The big doors of The World opened, and Jack stepped out into the sunlight.

"Hey Jack!" Race called to him. Jack turned into our direction. "Look who we found!" Andrew lifted me up so Jack could see me, and I waved excitedly. Jack's jaw dropped. Andrew let me down and gently pushed me forward.

"Go see him!" Andrew whispered in mu ear. I started forward, probably going a lot faster than I should've been. Jack was still standing in the doorway, looking surprise. I then realized I should slow down, but I tripped before I could act on that thought. I stumbled forward and lost my crutch. I closed my eyes and expected to taste the pavement.

Shocked yells came from behind me, but I never hit the ground. I opened my eyes slowly and found myself still standing. I looked down at my feet. Both of them were planted firmly on the ground. I gasped and looked up. I met Jack's eyes. He was halfway down the front stairs, but standing still with a look of amazement on his face. I took a careful step forward, finding the weight on my ex-bad leg a strange feeling. I took another step, and a smile started to spread across my face. I tripped again, but Jack was there to catch me.

"I got you." He said with a laugh. I hugged him tightly and started to cry. He held me just as tight. "You're safe now." He was right. I was surrounded by my family and friends. I didn't have to worry about my leg or The Refuge. I then smiled against Jack's shoulder, remembering something Andrew had said one time when we were practicing.

_If unwanted stress or grief causes an injury like this, maybe the coming of better times and happiness makes it better._


	19. Epilogue

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"You aren't going to be sick. It's just nerves. " Andrew said calmly. The past year since the strike has been leading up to this moment. Tonight was the night. The night I make my solo debut on Medda's stage was about to happen. Even though it would only be for a few weeks, there was a possibility of my continuing if everything went well. That's a lot of pressure. I was in my new dressing room with Andrew. He was stroking my hand while I took deep breaths. I didn't want to move because I felt like porcelain. I had been here all day getting ready. Using the washroom here was a lot easier than trying to figure out a decent time to use the one at the lodgehouse. Katherine had been waiting in my dressing room when I got out of the washroom. I had enlisted her to help with my hair and things since she had more experience with stuff like that than I did. She started to put my hair in curlers and set out the makeup I would need later. Andrew came in with sandwiches for lunch. Jack popped in too to wish me luck on his way to the distribution office. Halfway through the morning Miss Medda came in with my costume. She had said that she would take care of the entire thing so I had no idea what the dress looked like.

_"Here I am!" Miss Medda announced walking into the room. In her arms, there was a beautifully wrapped gold box. Katherine was just finishing placing the last curler in place. She let out a big sigh. _

_"Celia, you can move now." she said with a laugh. I was so nervous that I could barely sit still. Katherine collapsed in a chair nearby, complaining about how her feet hurt, while Medda passed me the box. _

_"This is a present, Celia. I will accept nothing in return." Miss Medda told me with a smile. I nodded, looking at the gorgeous gold paper on the box. Someone had come in a few weeks ago to take measurements, but I haven't heard or seen anything about this since. _

_"What are you waiting for?" Katherine asked. Both of the ladies were watching me expectantly. I smiled sheepishly. _

_"I don't want to ruin the paper!" I laughed._

_"I'll open it for you." Katherine suggested and got up. I hugged the box closer. _

_"No!" Katherine and Medda laughed. "I can do it!" I tore off the paper carefully and opened the box. I gasped. "Oh my! It's beautiful!" The dress was a soft peach color with a beaded bodice and tiered skirt. I gently touched the silky fabric. "Miss Medda, this is perfect. Thank you!" I set the box on the ground and stood. I gave her a hug._

_"Watch the hair!" Katherine squeaked._

Throughout the rest of the day, the dressing room began to be filled with flowers and other gifts. I had yet to open them. The knock on the door brought me back into reality. "Come in!" I called. Andrew squeezed my hand. The door opened, and a friendly stagehand named Ben walked in.

"Ready, Miss Aster?" he asked. Aster isn't my real last name, but I couldn't really remember the other. Most people used a stage name anyways. I turned to Andrew and kissed him quickly.

"See you after." I told him. He nodded and nudged me towards the door. I followed Ben though a maze of hallways to the stage. I waited in the darkness of the wings. Miss Medda was on stage finishing up her song. With a flourish of chimes, the song concluded. The crowd erupted in applause. I noticed the balcony was the loudest area. I peeked around the curtain, and the newsboys had taken over the mezzanine. They would be the one making all the noise. I ducked in behind as the sheers diminished. Miss Medda looked at me from the stage and nodded once. I waved nervously.

"All right, everyone! Here to make her debut on my stage, give a wonderful welcome to Miss Celia Aster!" She announced. I walked out into the bright lights.

Then it's over.

I don't even realize it until I'm walking back into the wings to loud applause. The rest of the show flew by. The finale with Miss Medda was amazing, and it ended in a standing ovation. The thick red curtain fell as we took our final bow. The roses that I had received from a stagehand trembled in my shaking hands. I gave Medda once last hug before starting offstage. I heard Medda yell behind me. "Hey! You can't climb on the stage like that!" I suddenly was tackled in a hug from behind.

"HEY CECE!" Race yelled in my ear.

"Don't call me that!" I said. I turned around to find the newsboys clogging up the wings.

"Great job!" They chorused. The boys had cleaned up for this which was a nice sight. Davey and Les were also among the group. Their dad was sadly still out of work, but the newsies' business was booming so money wasn't completely scarce. Thankfully, they had been able to keep their house. Davey and Les were often found hanging out at the lodgehouse. Les produced a bouquet of pink flowers from behind his back.

"We got these for you!" he said happily. "They're called ca-car-" He trailed off looking at Davey.

"Carnations. You were wonderful tonight, Celia!" Davey told me. Les handed me the flowers. I went on to hug every single boy.

"I have to go change, but I'll see you back at the house!" I told them before hurrying off the stage to my dressing room. Andrew was nowhere to be seen which was weird, but I brushed it off. I took off my costume, handling it delicately. I wasn't that nice to the heels. I sat in my nice silk robe and started to pull the pins from my hair. There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" The door opened. Jack peeked in.

"Got two more hugs in ya?" He asked. I got up and shrugged.

"I think I can find some." I said with a smile. He and Katherine entered the room. I hugged Katherine first.

"You looked so beautiful tonight!" She told me.

"Only because of you! Thank you so much for helping and teaching me today." She nodded. I jumped on Jack with a hug. "I did it!" I squealed.

"It's easy once you get started, right? All you had to do was try!" He said setting me down. "We don't need no Santa Fe now. We got this place."

"Yeah, New York's got us for good!"


	20. Thank you!

Thank you so much for the multiple views, reads, and reviews! I never thought I could write something this long and actually finish it. I have already had an inquiry about a sequel. It probably won't be a full blown book, but a series of short stories about Celia's life. They might be before the strike although most will be based in the years after. Again, thank you for all the reviews! They kept me going :)


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